87% of Americans have used Internet for science research

40 million Americans use the Internet as their primary source of news and information about science according to a new study by the Pew Internet Project and the Exploratorium, a museum based in San Francisco.

The study also reports that 87 percent of adult Internet users said they have used the Internet to do science research.

“People’s use of the Internet for science information has a lot to do with the Internet’s convenience as a research tool, but it also connected to people’s growing dependence on the Internet for information of all types,” said John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the study’s principal author. “Many think of the Internet as a gigantic encyclopedia on all subjects and this certainly applies to scientific information.”

The study found that the Internet (20%) is second only to television (41%) among the general population as a primary source for science information. Newspapers and magazines are each cited by 14% as their main sources for science. For young adults with high-speed connections at home, the Internet is the most popular source for science news and information by a 44% to 32% margin over television, according to the study.

Further findings include:

Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) online users have used the Internet to look up the meaning of a scientific concept, answer a specific science question, learn more about a scientific breakthrough, help complete a school assignment, check the accuracy of a scientific fact, downloaded scientific data, or compare different or opposing scientific theories.

Most Americans say they would turn to the Internet if they needed more information on specific scientific topics. Two-thirds of respondents asked about stem cell research said they would first turn to the Internet and 59% asked about climate change said they would first go to the Internet. Most of those searches would begin with search engines.

Nearly three quarters (71%) of Internet users say they turn to the Internet for science news and information because it is convenient.

Two-thirds (65%) say they have encountered news and information about science when they have gone online for a different reason in mind.

78% of those who have gotten science information online describe themselves as “very” or “somewhat” informed about new scientific discoveries; 58% of remaining Internet users says this.

48% strongly agree that to be a strong society, the United States needs to be competitive in science; 33% of remaining online users strongly agree with this.

43% strongly agree that scientific research is essential to improving the quality of human lives; 27% of remaining online users say this.